what i get when i let go…

When I become aware that I am chasing something, often because either I’m not getting what I think I want and/or I am exhausting myself by trying so hard, if I am able to let go and soften back into myself, making space for what I was chasing to come to me or not, I feel a sense of peace and release that can be more sustaining than when I get what I think I want by grasping for it.
Sometimes in this place of calm and openness I get what I thought I wanted anyway. And even if I don’t, I’m okay. Because I became willing to let it go.

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4 thoughts on “what i get when i let go…”

Sounds like another way of detaching from results. Here are some things you might enjoy that Sri Easwaran has brought to my attention that deal with this topic:

“Detaching from Results

Those whose consciousness is unified abandon all attachment to the results of action and attain supreme peace. But those whose desires are fragmented, who are selfishly attached to the results of their work, are bound in everything they do. – Bhagavad Gita

Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory. – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

It is not so much work that tires us, but ego-driven work. When we are selfishly involved, we cannot help worrying, we cannot help getting overly concerned about our success or failure. The preoccupation with results makes us tense, and our anxiety exhausts us.

The Gita is essentially a call to action. But it is a call to selfless action, that is, action without any selfish attachments to the results. It asks us to do our best, yet never allow ourselves to become involved in whether things work out the way we want.

It takes practice to learn this skill, but once you have it, as Gandhi says, you will never lose your nerve. The sense of inadequacy goes, and the question “Am I equal to this job?” will not arise. It is enough that the job needs to be done and that you are doing your best to get it done.

If you want to give your best in any selfless service, choose the right goal, use right means, and try not to fret about results.”

Thanks dad! those are helpful quotes and thoughts, and for me this part is especially useful to remember:
“The sense of inadequacy goes, and the question “Am I equal to this job?” will not arise. It is enough that the job needs to be done and that you are doing your best to get it done.”